Lighting equipment and starting arrangement for gasolene-engines on gasolene motor-cars



W. L. vBLISS. LIGHTING EQUIPMENT AND STARTING ARRANGEMENT FOR GASOLENEENGINES 0N GASOLENE MOTOR CARS. APPLICATION FILED JUNE 25, IQIO.

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jm W 6 .4 4 6 ZW GASOLENE ENGINE w. L. BLISS. A LIGHTING EQUIPMENT ANDSTARTING ARRANGEMENT FOR GASOLENE ENGINES N GASOLENE MOTOR CARS.

APPLICATION mm mm: 25. mo.

22- Patented Nov. 16, 1920,

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WILLIAM L. BLISS, or MILWAUKEE, WISCONSIN, ASSIGNOB, BY mm: nssmnnnn'rs,TO U. s. near a m ner coaronuron, or NIAGARA rams. mzw Yonx. A eoPORLTION OF NEW YORK.

LIGHTING EQUIPMENT AND STARTING ARRANGEMENT FOB GABOLEHE-BKQIHES 0NGASOLENE MOTOR-CABS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Nov. 16, 1920.

Application filed June 25. 1910. Serial No. 588.909.

To all whom.- it may concern Be it known that I, VILLIAM L. Buss. acitizen of the l'nited States. residing at Milwaukee. in the county ofMilwaukee and State of Wisconsin. have invented new and usefulImprovements in Lighting Equipments and Starting Arrangements forGasolene-llngines on (lasolene Motor-Cars. of which the following is afull, clear. concise, and exact description. reference being bad to theaccompanying drawing. forming a part of this specification.

My invention relates to a lighting system adapted particularly to agasolene automobile or a railway motor car using an internal combustionengine. and also to a starting arrangement for said engine. ()ne of theobjects of the invention is to provide a practical and ellicient systemof electric lighting for a vehicle driven by an ihternal combustionengine. and another object is to take advantage of the variousinstrumentalities necessarily incident to a car or vc hicle lightingsystem. to start the engine provided to run the generator whicht'urnishes current for the vehicle lighting.

In a gasolene automobile or motor car using an internal combustionengine, a clutch is always employed between the engine and the runninggear of the car. so that the engine may be started light and afterward,by means of the clutch, connected to the driving mechanism of the car.An electric lighting system may be applied to an automobile in such amanner that a generator may be intermittently driven from the axle ofthe automobile or from some part of the rotating mechanism. The

generator may intermittently charge a stor age battery and furnishcurrent to the lamps for lighting the car or automobile. The battery mayfurnish current. for the lamps when the car or engine is at rest orrunning too slowly to render the generator operative. A regulator may.be applied to the generator like those used in railway axle lighting forregulating the generat'titofconfine its output within certain limits,although the generator may be subjected to enormous variations in speed.A regulator for the lamps may be provided to maintain their voltageconstant. even though the voltage of the generator and storage batteryvary over quite a range.

An automatic switch or its equivalent may be provided to disconnect thegenerator from the lighting system, to prevent the battery fromdischarging uselessly through the same. The generator may be driven froma connection on either side of the clutch. If driven from the drivinggear on the engine side of the clutch the generator will run wheneverthe engine runs. not withstanding the fact that the clutch might bedisengaged and the car standing still. By driving the generator from theengine side of the clutch. two important advantages are gained. First,the. generator will be m operation more of the time, and helc'c beusefully employed more of the time than if it were connected on thewheel side of the clutch. Second, by connecting the generator to theengine side of the clutch. the generator may be operated as a motor fromthe storage battery of the lighting system for starting the engine. nogreat amount of power being required as the engine would be disconnectedfrom the car wheels at this time and consequentlv have no load upon it.The feature of my invention is to provide improved means for utilizingthese conditions so that the generator may be started as a motor fromthe battery, thus starting the engine. which as soon as it begins tooperate, will in time drive the motor as the generator of a lightingsystem.

\Vhile the invention is capable of various applications, the ones whichI have wol'ked out in practice, and which are illustrated in theaccompanying drawings, are a simple. eflicient and useful adaptation ofthe idea as applied to a gasolene automobile or a railway motor car suchas are in use on certain railroads for branch line service. and havin asystem of electric lighting.

In the rawings,-

Figure 1 is a diagrammatic representation of a system embodying myinvention.

Fig. 2 is a diagrammatic representation of a modified system.

Fig. 3 is a diagrammatic representation of another modification.

Fig. 4 is a dia ammatic representation of a geneator an driving meanstherefor.

Referring to Fig. 1, a gasolene or other hydro-carbon engine 1 is shownconnected directly to a shunt wound generator having an armature 2 andshunt field windings 2. The generator supplies the current to the mainswith which the storage battery 3 and the lamp circuit 4 are connected inparallel branches.

The gasolenc engine is used primarily to drive the car, the mechanicalconnection through the clutch and gearing to the wheels of the car, notbeing shown. The capacity of the generator is chosen for the lighting ofthe car, and in turn, when acting as a motor, is only enough to startthe engine.

Two switches connected in parallel branches are arranged between thegenerator and the stora e battery. One of these switches, which havecalled the main switch, performs the function of the usual automaticswitch in that it is adapted to connect the generator with the storagebattery when the voltage of the former is equal to or slightly in excessof that of the latter and also opens the circuit to the storage batterywhen the generator voltage falls below that of the battery. The secondswitch, or auxiliary switch, is manually controlled and is used toconnect the battery with the generator in order to permit the batterycurrent to flow through the generator in a reverse direction and run thesame as a motor to start the engine. When the auxiliary switch is'closedbythe operator, the main switch is rendered inoperative, The opening ofthe auxiliary switch, however, restores the main switch to operativecondition.

The circuit from the generator to the battery, under working conditions,is completed through conductor 5, around resistance 6, by means of shortcircuiting contacts 7 controlled by the starting switch,

hen through conductor 8, releasing coil 9,

main switch 10, which is closed at the time, and conductor 11. From thebattery and lighting circuit 4 the circuit to the generator is completedthrough conductor 12. The shunt field coils of the generator areconnected around resistance 6, by conductor 13, as illustrated.

Suitable means are provided for automatically closing the main switch10. The

means include a lifting coil connected in a circuit across the generatorterminals, as follows :-from the positive terminal, through conductors5, 19, triple contact 7, conductor 18, lifting coil 17, conductor 16,resistance 15, and conductor 14, to the negative terminal.

A set of triple contacts 21 is illustrated for use in connection with asystem of regulation employing backers, but as the regulation is not apart of the invention, as dis closed in this particular diagram and asany suitable form of regulation may be used in connection therewith, thedetails of said regulating system have been omitted. It

should be noted however, that for the sake of clearness, both verticaland plan views of the contacts of switches 7 and 21 have been provided.

The auxiliary switch 22, which may be called the motor starting switchis connected in parallel with the main switch 10 and operates to close acircuit from the battcry to the generator, which, under thesecircumstances will run as a motor. This circuit is from battery 3,conductors l1, and 23, holding coil 24, switch 22 if closed, conductor25 and dividing, one branch through resistance 6, conductor 5 andgenerator armature, and the other branch through conductor 13 andgenerator field 2", to conductor 12 and batte For convenience inoperating switch 22, a

liftin coil 26 is arranged in a circuit leading in the battery, asfollows :from battery 3, conductors 11, 23, coil 26, conductor 27, pushbuttons 28, conductor 29, and back to the battery. The push buttons maybe located at convenient places throughout the car, and accordingly theswitch may be manually controlled from a distance, if desired, althoughvI do not limit myself to this arrangement- The operation of the systemis as follows Upon pressing any of the push buttons 28, the lifting coil26 is energized by current from the battery 3, and closes the startingswitch 22, which is thereafter held in closed position by the coil 24,which coil is included in a circuit from the battery through thegenerator 2, including also resistance 6, which is intended to preventdamage to the armature and to prevent short circui of the battery. Assoon as the starting switch 22 has closed, the push button may bereleased as the coil 24 will hold the switch closed without theasistance of coil 26. The shunt field coil 2' is subject to full battevoltage and hence produces as strong a li eld for starting as possible.The resistance 6 limits the starting current through the armature, to asuitable value.

The generator now starts as a motor and gives a few turns to the enginecorresponding to the ordinary cranking, so that the engine thereafterruns whereupon the generator ceases to run as a motor, and no longerdraws current from the storage battery. The dying out of this currentcauses the denergization of coil 24, switch 22 falling o The opening ofswitch 22 closes the triple contact switch 7, which short circuits theresistance 6 formerly in the armature circuit. The object of openingthis triple contact switch 7 upon the closing of the starting switch 22,is to prevent, by any possibility, the nerator switch 10 closingprematurely. c lifting coil 17 of the automatic switch being open on itsown power,-

' nected to the engine circuited by the triple contact switch 7 saidswitch is rendered inoperative during the period that the startingswitch 22 remains i h d f th d to t e 0 e en ne an genera r increases,iifi e voltage ot the generator increases, the efiect of which is tocause less and less current to flow from the battery to the generator,until finally this current becomes zero. The switch 22 opens at th1s1nstant or just before, the resistance 6 being short circuited, as it isnot neededwhen the apparatus operates as a lighting system, its

having switch 22 also closes the circuit of the lifting coil 17 arrangedin a shunt circuit 19, 18, 17, 16, 15, 14, around the generatorarmature, so that when the generator voltage has reached a valuecorresponding to the normal voltage of the battery, say two volts percell, the switch 10 closes and connects the generator to the system sothat it can charge the batteries and light the lamps, the circuitbeingas followsafrom thegenerator, through conductors 5, 19, switch 7,conductors 20, 8, releasing coil 9, switch 10, conductor 11, storagebattery 3 and llghtmg circuit 4 and conductor 12, back to the generator.Coils 17 and 9 are so wound that they assist each other in holding theswitch 10 closed as long as current flows from the generator to thebattery. Wheneventhe generator slows down, however, to a polnt where itsvoltage is below that of the battery, the direction of current flow 'incoil 9 is reversed, owing to the fact that the battery starts todischarge back through the generator, thereby causing releasing coil tooppose lifting coil 17, whereupon the switch 10 falls open.

Under normal conditions, the generator supplies both the battery 3 andthe external lighting circuit 4. Whenever the generator is run at lessthan the proper speed however, or when it is not running at all, thestorage battery alone supplies the lighting circuit. The battery, ofcourse, may also be used for other purposes, such for example, asproviding current for the magnetic clutches by means of which the motorcar is driven by the engine 1. It may also provide current for theignition system and for other purses. The storage battery providesenergy for all of the above purposes pro 'ded it is kept charged by thegenerator. In the case of the gasolene motor car, to which thisinvention is particularly adapted, a very great advantage obtains overthe ordinary car lighting stem in that the generator, being conand notto the car axle, may be kept running for a much longer time than underthe other system. It is customary with gasolene motor cars to keep thepractically all the time that the car is on the road. Whenever it isdesired to stop the car, it is simply necessary to throw out the clutchand allow the engine to continue running, exactly as is the case'withautomobiles.

In the foregoing it will be seen that a very simple and eflicient systemis provided, whereby the engine may be started without resorting tocranking, compressed air devices or other ineflieient methods. In orderto start, it is simply necessary to push one of the buttons which as thestarting switch closes. the system takes care of itself.

Referring to Fig. 2 in which is shown a system adapted more particularlyfor automobile lighting, the'generator 30 is shown as having a shuntfield 31, the main circuit of said generator being through con uctor 32,solenoid 33, conductors 34 and 35, releasing coil 36, main switch 37 anddividing, through branch circuit 38 including a storage battery 39, andthrough the lighting circuit by way of switch 40, conductor 41, lamp 42and conductor 43, thence joining the bat tery circuit through conductor44 back to the generator.

The shunt field 31 of the generator has in series therewith the carbonpile resistance 45, the pressure on said carbon pile being regulated byone end of a bell crank lever 46, the other end of said lever beingmoved up and down by plunger 47, having its movement retarded by a dashpot 48. The circuit through the shunt field is from the positive pole ofthe generator 30, through conductor 32, resistance 45, conductors 49,50, and 51 to the shunt field 31 and back to the negative pole of thegenerator.

The closing of the main switch 37 is effected by lifting coil 52, whichcoil is in a shunt circuit around the terminals of the generator asfollows :from the positive pole of the generator through conductor 32,solenoid 33, conductor 34, lifting coil 52, and dividing at the contact53, through the lever 54 or through the resistance 55 in a branchcircuit around said lever, depending on whether or not the circuit isclosed by the said lever at 53, uniting again in conductor 56 and thenceto the negative terminal.

A conductor 57, resistance 58 and hand switch 59 are shown as providinga path between the battery generator running Thereafter,

circuit 38 and conductors 50 and 51 of the shunt field 31 for the purpose of providing for the proper excitation of the generator field whennecessary.

A spring retracted hand switch 60 is provided as a motor starter. Thisswitch closes a circuit from the battery 39, through conductor 61,switch 60, and dividing, through conductor 62, resistance 63, andthrough armature 30 and conductor 44, joining the other branch circuitfrom switch 60 may be released as soon throu h conductor 51 andgenerator field 31, and t ence back to the battery. The reslstance 63 isinserted to prevent short circulting the battery through th; armatureand injuring the latter, the field belng Sllb]60t8d to the full batteryvoltage, to produce a powerful starting torque, as explained inconnection with ig. 1.

The operation of the system is as follows Assuming that the engine isnot running and that the clutch is thrown out as is customary underthese conditions, the generator also will be idle. At this time if it isdesired to use the incandescent lights 42, they will be supplied withcurrent by the storage battery, 39 upon the closing of switch 40. If itis desired to start the engine, the switch 60 is held closed by handfora short interval, during which time the generator starts as a motor'iving the engine enough turns to start it. fter the engine starts, itwill drive the motor as a generator and the voltage of the generatorwlll increase. The engine having started, the hand switch is released sothat the only circuit from the generator, aside from its field circuit,is that through the lifting coil 52 and lever 54, the resistance 55being short circuited.

As the speed and consequently the voltage of the generator increases, apredetermined point is reached, at which lifting coil 52 closes the mainswitch 37 and simultaneously opens the circuit at 53 by the lifting oflever 54, thus throwing in the high resistance 55. The closing of themain switch occurs when the voltage of the generator exceeds a valuecorresponding to the normal voltage of the battery, whereupon thegenerator charges the battery and carries the lamp load. It will beapparent that as soon as the main switch 37 is closed, the series coil36 assists lifting coil 52 in holding said switch closed. Furthermore,whenever the voltage of the generator falls below' that of-the battery,due to a lessening of its speed, the battery will discharge back throughthe holding coil 36 and through the generator, whereupon said coil 36will oppose coil 52 and the main switch will fall open, at the same timeshort circuiting resistance 55 by means of lever 54.

The purpose of the carbon pile resistance 45 is to confine the output ofthe generator within safe limits. This particular type of regulator Ihave claimed in another application, and inasmuch as it is shown heresimply for the purpose of illustrating one of a number of regulatorswhich might be used, a detailed description will be unnecessary. Theoperation, briefly, is as follows Normally the weight of the plunger 47keeps it in its lowermost position, thereby producing the maximumpressure on the pile of carbon disks, and-reducing their resistanceaccordingly. pon excessive rise in the current however, the plunger 47is lifted under the influence of solenoid 33, whereupon an increasedresistance is introduced into the shunt field circuit of the generator,thereby weakening the field and reducing the current. Thls automaticregulation tends to confine the current within safe limits.

The modification shown in Fig. 3 is similar in its main features to thatshown in Fig. 2, but with the addition of the automatic switch and themotor from any one of a number of distant points. The same referencechar acters have been-used in this figure as in the preceding figure,Where the parts correspond. Starting from the battery 39, the circuitmay be traced through conductor 64, solenoid 65, motor starting switch66 when closed, conductor 67 resistance 63, armature 30, conductor 44and back to the battery. Another circuit starts with conductor 64 andbranches off through lifting coil 68, conductor 69, push buttons 70, andconductor 71, back to the battery.

The operation of this arrangement is as follows To insure a promptbuilding-up of the generator voltage as the armature begins to rotate, afield energizing circuit from the battery is provided through conductors38, 57, 50, 51, field winding 31 and conductor 44 back to the battery. Aresistance 58 may be provided in this circuit to limit the initialcurrent flowing in the field windlng.

Upon pressing any of the push buttons 70 located conveniently indifferent parts of the automobile, the lifting coil 68 is energized bybattery current and closes the starting switch 66, thus completing acircuit from the battery through the generator field and armature andcausing said generator to operate as a motor and start the engine in themanner heretofore described. As soon as the switch 66 closes, the coilholds it closed, whereupon the push button may be released, thusdenergizing lifting coil 68. As soon as the engine begins to drive thegenerator, and the voltage of the generator begins to increase, the E.M. F. of the battery is balanced to a suflicient extent, so that thecurrent flowing through coil 65 is so reduced as to cause the motorstarting switch 66 to fall open. From this point on, the operation ofthesystem is the same as described in connection with Fig. 2.

In Fig. 4 there is shown diagrammatically, an internal combustion engine72 having a shaft 73 provided at 'one end with any suitable form ofclutch 74 and at the other end with gears 75 for driving the generatorarmature 76. A large push buttons for starting,

gear on the engine shaft and a small one on the generator shaft is veryadvantageous. It enables the engine to drive the generator at high speedand in turn, gives the generator when starting the engine as a motor,great leverage. The usual crank 77 may also be provided if desired. Thegenerator field winding 78 may be of any suitable form, such as thosedescribed above.

The foregoing embodimentsbf my idea are selected simply as illustratingsome of the many practical forms which the invention may assume and itis obvious that various changes may be made without departing from thespirit of the invention, as long as the essential features come withinthe sec e of the appended claims.

aving described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secureby Letters Patent of the United States, is-

1. In combination, a generator, a storage battery, and a circuitincluding said ele ments, means connected to and adapted to drive saidgenerator, but requiring an external starting impulse, said circuitincluding also two switches in parallel, said switches being normallyopen, means for closing one of said switches, whereby the batterydischarges through said generator to run it as a motor for starting saidconnected means, means for automatically opening said switch when saidgenerator, driven by said means, develops a predetermined voltage inopposition to said battery voltage, and means for closing the otherswitch upon still further increase of generator volt- 2. An automobilestarting and lighting system comprising, in combination with theautomobile engine, a dynamo electric machlne connected to said engine, astorage battery in circuit therewith, and means for controlling thecircuit between said dynamo electric machine and battery, said meanscomprising an automatic switch for closing said circuit and anadditional means for closing said circuit at will, said additional meansacting to prevent the operation of said automatic switch while saidcircuit is closed by said additional means.

3. An automobile starting and lighting system comprising, in combinationwith the automobile engine, a dynamo electric machine connected to saidengine, a storage battery adapted to be connected in circuit therewith,an automatic switch for closing the circuit between said dynamo electricmachine and battery, said switch having a lift ing coil for closing saidswitch under predetermined conditions, and a second switch, operable atwill, for closing a circuit between said storage battery and dynamoelectric machine, said second switch having contacts in the circuit ofsaid lifting coil whereby said lifting coil is rendered inoperative whensaid second switch is closed.

4. The combination of an engine, an electric machine connected thereto,a secondary battery, an automatic switch for controlling the charge ofthe battery by the electric machine, and means for cutting out the automatic switch and connecting the battery to the electric machine, wherebythe same may be operated as a motor for starting the engine.

5. The combination of an engine, an electric machine connected thereto,a secondary battery. an automatic switch for controlling the charge ofthe battery by the electric machine, and a second switch for renderinginoperative the automatic switch and connecting the battery to theelectric machine. whereby the same may be operated as a motor forstarting the engine.

6. In combination, an internal combustion engine,a dynamo electricmachine connected to the shaft of said engine, a storage battery to becharged by said dynamo electric machine, means for closing the maincircuit from said machine, means for connecting said battery to saiddynamo electric machine to start said engine, said means being operableat will, and means for preventing operation of said first mentionedmeans as long as said second mentioned means is operative.

7. In combination, a dynamo electric machine adapted to be connected toan internal combustion engine, an external circuit for said dynamoelectric machine, a storage battery connected across said externalcircuit, an automatic switch and a second switch connected between saiddynamo electric machine and said storage battery in parallel branches,said automatic switch having a lifting coil and a release coil,auxiliary contacts controlled by said second switch, said lifting coilbeing connected across the generator terminals through said auxiliarycontacts, whereby the closing of said second switch renders saidautomatic switch inoperative and permits battery current to flow to saiddynamo electric machine and operate the same as a motor to start theengine.

8. In a lighting system, a dynamo electric machine, a storage batteryconnected thereto, an automatic switch connected in circuit between saiddynamo electric machine and said storage battery, said automatic switchhaving a lifting coil connected across the terminals of said dynamoelectric machine, and a second switch connected in the shunt circuitaround said automatic switch and having contacts connected in circuitwith said lifting coil, whereby said second switch may be used toshort-circuit said automatic switch and simultaneously render the sameinoperative.

9. The combination of an engine, an electric machine connected thereto,a secondary battery, an automatic switch for controlling the charge ofthe battery by the electric machine, and a switch for cutting out theautomatic switch and connecting the battery to the electric machine,whereby the same may be operated as a motor for starting the en- 1118. g10. The combination of an engine, an electric machine connected thereto,a secondary battery, an automatic switch for controlling the charge ofthe battery by the electric machine, and a switch for disabling theautomatic switch andconnecting the battery to the electric machinewhereby the same may be operated as a. motor for starting the engine.

11. The combination of an engine, an electric machine connected thereto,a secondary battery, an automatic switch for controlling the charge ofthe battery by the electric machine, said automatic switch having alifting coil and a holding coil and a switch for open-circuiting saidlifting coil and connecting the battery to the electric machine. wherebysaid machine may be operated as a motor for starting the engine.

In witness whereof I have hereunto subscribed my name in the presence oftwo 80 witnesses.

WILLIAM L. BLISS. Witnesses:

M. R. FENNO, E. J. Mmn.

